St. Louis Blues defenseman Joel Edmundson returns after missing 12 games with an upper-body injury, but defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury sustained during a 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Bortuzzo will be reevaluated in six weeks. "The timing couldn't be better, unfortunately for [Bortuzzo], but fortunately for us because [Edmundson] was playing well when he got hurt," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "It's a big help for us because we go back to lefty-righty." Bortuzzo played seven games after returning from a similar injury that forced him to miss 10 games. "You feel for [Bortuzzo]," Hitchcock said. "That's a long couple injuries that he's had and it's a tough go for him; he was playing really well and helping us. But right now, we're in good shape. We've got our six that we started with that we played most of the time with, so we're back on schedule there." Goalie Jake Allen will start; he is 7-0-0 his past seven starts while allowing 16 goals. The Blues conclude a five-game homestand; they are 9-0-3 in their past 12 home games and 11-1-3 at Scottrade Center. St. Louis is 7-1-1 in its past nine games after starting 7-6-3. Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester needs one assist for 300 in his NHL career.
